Three out of four Kiwis looking for new job

Three out of four Kiwis are actively looking for a new job, up more than 20 per cent in six months, according to the latest Hudson Report released today.

Despite business confidence and hiring sentiment steady, the number of Kiwis feeling dissatisfied in their job is at the highest level in 10 years.

In an increasingly active job market, employers are looking to hire across all sectors with Christchurch paving the way for new employees - one third of all Canterbury-based organisations are looking for permanent staff.

Hudson New Zealand regional general manager Roman Rogers said it was common for workers to ponder change over the Christmas break.

"People take time over the holiday break to sit on the beach and reassess their career. If they're considering a move, they either pull the pin straight away or stick it out and see how things go," Rogers said. "If they get to the half-year mark and nothing's changed, then they look to move on."

Hiring intentions in New Zealand remain steady, with the net hiring sentiment unchanged at 29 per cent from the start of the year.

Employees are echoing the sentiment with 98 per cent of people saying they believe in the importance of employers encouraging innovation.

"We are seeing consistent rhetoric from employers around the need for adaptability, problem solving and resilience in new talent.

"Business leaders know that, in today's world, staying still means falling behind. Organisations are looking to gain a competitive advantage through innovation and the use of cutting-edge technologies," he said.

On the workplace innovation front, he said there is room for improvement in the way organisations encourage a culture of innovation.

"There is a real tension - you have employers saying they want to be game-changers, and employees flaunting innovative traits to increase their hire-ability. But in reality, there are a lot of people that actually aren't wired to operate well amidst constant and aggressive change."

While 97 per cent of employers say their organisation has an innovation culture, just 23 per cent of workers believe that was true.

The South Island showed the biggest increase in intention to hire, with 49 per cent of employers planning to add additional staff between now and December.

Hiring intentions in Auckland remained steady, with Wellington slowing - down 3 per cent in the past six months.

Demand in telecomms, IT, construction strong
The telecommunications sector recorded the highest hiring intentions at 54 per cent with IT and construction following closely at 48 per cent and 46 per cent.

"Not only do the telecommunications and IT sectors have the highest outlooks, technology professionals are in high demand too," Rogers said.

"The boom is being led by a number of transformative change programmes.

"Companies are creating and commercialising new ideas, established organisations and the government are showing a relentless appetite for adapting technology that drives efficiency and reduces costs, and the banking sector is looking at technology as an enabler."

Add a Comment